Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Should The Packers Really Target Shea McClellin?

While I was taking a couple weeks off from blogging, a few mock drafts started linking the Green Bay Packers to LB Shea McClellin. He's finished a strong career at Boise State, and at 6-3 and 260 lbs., he seems to be a strong candidate to play outside linebacker in the NFL.

The scouting report at CBS Sports.com says McClellin's a "high effort and energy rusher" and "not an elite athlete." So is McClellin going to play at the same level in the NFL though he doesn't seem to have the same elite athletic ability? You don't draft a player in the first round just because he was great in college and has a high motor. He's got to be the complete package.

In the above video, it looks like Boise State is playing him like a Wide 9 DE. Similar to how the Eagles use DE Jason Babin. Now Babin had a great 2011 season with the Eagles, but the Packers don't use that type of defensive formation. Maybe they're thinking about changing it up, but that's just speculation. I didn't see any highlights of McClellin dropping into coverage and making a play.

McClellin's not going to last until the end of the second round, so if the Packers want him, they'll have to draft him at the end of the first round. He could be the next Jason Babin, but that wouldn't seem to fit with the Packers defensive scheme under Dom Capers.

7 comments:

This"McClellin's not going to last until the end of the second round, so if the Packers want him, they'll have to draft him at the end of the first round."fits in nicely with what some of us think the Packers should do, anyway:Trade down from the end of the first, or up from the end of the second, to early in the second (or both?).

I'm w/ you Pat... Lets move from #28 to 32-35 take a DL or OLB, then move from #60 to top 45 to get the the other position. We could get 2 good quality players to fit our D. Unless Still is still on the board at 28... But if he Cox and Brockers are gone, move down, then up. All the OLB guys seem to have mostly 2nd round grades, as do a few DL.

Stroh, I don't know if that's possible, but it's an interesting idea. It might be better to have two high 2nd round picks instead of a late 1st and a late 2nd. Unfortunately it depends on the players that will slide down into those spots.

I agree with y'all... Great minds think alike... : ) I think if we trade down, we'll definitely have enough ammo to trade back up like Stroh is suggesting... Even if it took all of our draft picks we'd still have 2 4th comp picks and 2 7th comp picks... That's probably 2 starters on defense, and 4 depth picks... I'd actually be ok with that, especially since our roster is so stacked the way it is... : ) Plus any UDFA that TT has his eye on, and he already mentioned them in his pre-draft news conference... You know TT loves his UDFA!! : )

Hey Brandon. Thanx... I think if they can move down a couple spots we can get 2 quality players. I'm liking Devon Still if he is there at #28, but if not move down. All the OLB have 2nd round grades IMO and there are 2 or 3 DL that are good 2nd round value. I just don't see them falling all the way to #59. We can use our 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks to get up to #45, maybe a little higher. That would allow us to get maybe Still in the 1st at 28, and an OLB, Branch, McClellin, Irvin in the 2nd. I would love to get Still and any one of those OLB guys in the top 2 rounds! And if we move down we have another pick we could include to get higher in the 2nd.